Whitehills catchment area properties outperform Northampton average by 13.1%

I was having a chat with a Northampton property investor the other day, when he asked if schools, especially primary schools, affected the local property market in terms of demand from buyers and tenants to a property. Anecdotally, I have always known this to be true, a good school creates good demand and good demand does affect house prices. So, I asked my colleagues on the front line, who take the phone calls from people putting themselves on our mailing list and they confirmed that most people cite location as their number one factor.

After looking through our mailing list, it confirms there is a close correlation between the high demand areas of Northampton and the close proximity to a good primary school. Talking to my team in a recent morning meeting, they agreed many people would look to increase their budget quite significantly, whilst others would consider downgrading their property requirements to be close to a good primary school.

Those of you who regularly read this blog will know I like a challenge, so I decided to look at the science behind these assumptions. According to the SchoolGuide website, Whitehills Primary School is one of the best primary schools in Northampton. Its figures are certainly impressive. Their last Ofsted Report classified it as Outstanding, 83% of 11-year pupils achieving Level 4 or above in maths, reading and writing whilst 37% of them achieved level 5. Finally, the schools’ KS2 rating was classed as Good.

Looking at property sales within half a mile of Whitehills, property values have risen in value since 1999 by 135.58% whilst according to recent figures, the Northampton average as a whole has risen in the same time frame by 119.88%.

That means the parents of Whitehills have seen the values of their properties rise proportionally 13.1% more than the Northampton average … interesting don’t you think?

However, whilst a good primary school significantly contributes more to house prices, the same can’t be said for secondary schools. There are two reasons for this, firstly, as secondary schools are much larger, so their catchment areas are correspondingly much larger, meaning parents don’t need to live so close to the school. Secondly, in the UK, whilst the difference between the top 25% and bottom 25% of secondary schools is not insignificant, in the primary school sector, the difference between the top 25% and bottom 25%, according to the London School of Economics, is considerably and significantly more.

Many other Northampton landlords, both who are with us and many who are with other Northampton agents, like to pop in for a coffee or ring/email us to discuss the Northampton property market, to consider how Northampton compares with its closest rivals and hopefully we can answer all their questions, so feel free to drop me a line to northampton@northwooduk.com, pop in or call me on 01604 607080.

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This blog follows the property market in Northampton. You'll find tips, guidance, and analysis that relates specifically to the property market in Northampton. You will also find properties from all the estate agents in the town on here that may make decent investments. I run Northwood here in Northampton and if you're thinking of buying a property to let in Northamptonshire, I'm happy to offer a second opinion.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Katherine Bond

Hi and thank you for visiting my blog. I have been with Northwood in the Northampton property market since 2002 and have always shared my thoughts on the local property market in Northampton with our landlords and home owners, but now using modern technology, I want to share with everyone in the town.

In this blog, I will talk about what is happening in the Northampton’s property market itself, even looking at specific streets or housing estates. At other times, I will post what I consider decent buy to let deals (almost ‘Homes under the Hammer’ for Northampton). The deals will be on the market with other agents in Northampton as well as ourselves. I like to look at the whole of market and give you, what I consider the best investment opportunities.

At other times, I will post properties that I consider need serious consideration for homeowners. They might be because they are good value, nicely presented or some other reason that I think you might find of interest. If you see a potential deal, and want a second opinion, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will always give you our honest opinion on the property and if its a buy to let property, it’s investment potential. (both good and bad).